Birthmothers Friend teams up with partners to find housing for woman threatened with abortion
Anita was living with a relative when she discovered she was pregnant and referred to Birthmothers by Assist Pregnancy Center (Annandale, VA). They’d help Anita confirm her pregnancy. The birth father was no longer in the picture.
“I cannot tell my family that I’m pregnant,” said Anita. “They will be ashamed of me and disown me.”
Or, as she later shared with Birthmothers Friend Melinda Cagle, they could force her to have an abortion.
“I love God,” said Anita. “I cannot abort this baby.”
The Next Step: A Maternity Home
The pregnancy care center didn’t have the resources to connect her to a safe living situation and Anita didn’t make enough money at her bowling alley job to support herself on her own. So Melinda, representing Birthmothers, met with Anita and an Assist staff member to figure out the next step.
It turned out that a residential maternity home was the best place for Anita to live safely and carry her baby to term.
Melinda, as Anita’s Friend, helped her through the application process. As the time neared for Anita to move and she got cold feet, the two women prayed together. Melinda made a list of Anita’s fears and personally spoke with the maternity home director to get satisfactory answers to each of Anita’s concerns.
A Friend Stays With You Long-Term
When the day came for Anita to move, Melinda collected Anita, drove her to the maternity home, sat with her through orientation, and made sure Anita was settled in.
“When can I call Anita and come visit her?” Melinda asked the maternity home director before she left.
“You’re not just here to drop her off?” the maternity home director answered in disbelief. Melinda explained that Birthmothers Friends provide a supportive, one-on-one relationship for as long as the woman needs or chooses.
Today, Anita is living at the maternity home, attending college classes, and awaiting the baby’s arrival. She is considering adoption.
“The big story here is a wonderful 3-way partnership between Birthmothers, the pregnancy care center, and the maternity home,” said Melinda. “We worked together to help save a life.”
Find out how you can be trained to be a Birthmothers Friend.